Automation operating and management system

ABSTRACT

An automation operating and management system consolidates and analyzes inputs from multiple machines within an automated enterprise to predict failures and provide instructions for counteractions to prevent failures during machine operation, and to identify opportunities for efficiency improvement, including actions for reduction in peak power consumption demand within a facility including multiple machines. A machine can include a machine controller and at least one base layer controller, where the base layer controller acts as a low level controller to directly control the motion of elements in communication with the base layer control, according to parameters set by the machine controller. The base layer controller collects timing data for the elements under its control, compares the timing data with the parameters and sets an alarm when the timing data is outside of tolerance limits defined by the parameters.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Application claims the benefit of U.S. Non-Provisional applicationSer. No. 16/665,082 filed Oct. 28, 2019, which is a continuationapplication of U.S. Pat. No. 10,459,417 issued Oct. 29, 2019, which is adivisional application of U.S. Pat. No. 10,048,670 issued Aug. 14, 2018,which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application 61/990,148 filedMay 8, 2014, U.S. Provisional Application 61/990,151 filed May 8, 2014,U.S. Provisional Application 61/990,156 filed May 8, 2014, U.S.Provisional Application 61/990,158 filed May 8, 2014, U.S. ProvisionalApplication 61/990,159 filed May 8, 2014, U.S. Provisional Application61/990,163 filed May 8, 2014, U.S. Provisional Application 61/990,169filed May 8, 2014, U.S. Provisional Application 61/990,170 filed May 8,2014, and U.S. Provisional Application 61/990,172 filed May 8, 2014,which are each hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to operating and managingautomated equipment, including collecting and capturing automation datausing an automation controller in communication with a computing device.

BACKGROUND

A facility may include multiple machines. Each machine can be controlledby a programmable logic controller (PLC) or similar controller connectedto multiple machine elements, power sources and sensors of the machine.The controller in communication with the sensors receives sensor inputsto the controller indicating condition states of the various elements.The controller may be programmed to scan at a predetermined frequencythrough a scan cycle, defined for example, by a sequence of operations(SOP) to be performed by the elements of the machine, and, based on thesensor inputs and condition states received by the controller,selectively energize the power sources to actuate the elements toperform operations defined by the program. Each machine and itsassociated controller may be operated independently from each othermachine. When the inputs provided by each controller of the independentmachines are not consolidated for analysis, opportunities to increasefacility efficiency and decrease facility downtime can be missed.

SUMMARY

An automation operating and management system is provided whichconsolidates and analyzes inputs from multiple machines within anautomated enterprise to predict failures and provide instructions forcounteractions to prevent occurrence of failures during machineoperation, and to identify opportunities for efficiency improvement,including actionable opportunities for reduction in peak powerconsumption demand within a facility including multiple machines. Theenterprise can include multiple facilities, each of which includes aplurality of automated machines.

The automation system for controlling, operating and/or management of anenterprise including machines performing automated operations includes aplurality of machines. Each of the machines of the plurality of machinesincludes a machine controller and a plurality of elements. The machinecontroller is configured to control the plurality of elements to performan operational sequence and to collect data, which can include timingdata, generated during performance of the operational sequence by theplurality of elements. The system includes a server in communicationwith each of the plurality of machine controllers to collect the data,including timing data.

In one example, the server includes programming for predicting a failureof at least one element of the plurality of elements using the data,which can include timing data and other data such as condition statedata, collected from the plurality of machine controllers. In responseto predicting the failure, the server can generate an instruction to themachine controller of the respective machine including the at least oneelement, where the instruction is a countermeasure to prevent failure ofthe at least one element during operation of the respective machine. Inone example, the countermeasure is a command to substitute a back-upelement for the at least one element, where the back-up element issubstituted prior to failure of the at least one element, such thatdowntime is planned and minimized and/or avoided, and the enterprise is“self-healing”, e.g., proactively acts to prevent the failure of amachine and/or element in the enterprise.

The system can further include a facility comprising the server, a firstfacility system including the plurality of machines, and a secondfacility system. In this example, the server in communication with thesecond facility system to collect facility system data from the secondfacility system, and the server includes programming for predicting thefailure of the at least one element of the plurality of elements in thefacility using the data, which can include timing data and non-timingdata such as condition state data, collected from the plurality ofmachine controllers, in combination with the facility system datacollected from the second facility system. By way of example, the secondfacility system can be one of an infrastructure system for controlling apower supply of the facility, a product assurance system, and aproduction control system.

In one example, at least one machine of the plurality of machinesincludes a first station including at least a first element of theplurality of elements, and a second station including at least a secondelement of the plurality of elements. The machine further includes afirst base layer controller in communication with the machine controllerand the first station to directly control the first element according toparameters received from the machine controller by the first base layercontroller, and further includes a second base layer controller incommunication with the machine controller and the second station todirectly control the second element according to parameters receivedfrom the machine controller by the second base layer controller. Thefirst station includes a first sensor for sensing a first conditionstate of the first element and the second station includes a secondsensor for sensing a second condition state of the second element. Thefirst base layer controller and the second base layer controller are incommunication with each other such that the first base layer controllercommunicates the first condition state to the second base layercontroller and the second base layer controller communicates the secondcondition state to the first base layer controller. In one example, thefirst base layer controller selectively actuates the first element inresponse to the first condition state and the second condition state,and the second base layer controller selectively actuates the secondelement in response to the first condition state and the secondcondition state.

In one example, the first base layer controller can include a first datamatrix for storing data collected from the first station. The data caninclude timing data and can include other data such as condition statedata, power consumption data, etc. which can be collected from the firststation. A data matrix may also be referred to herein as a timing datamatrix. The second base layer controller can include a second datamatrix for storing data, which can include timing data, collected fromthe second station. The machine controller can collect the data, whichcan include timing data, from the first data matrix and the second datamatrix and can use the collected data, including timing data, tocoordinate control functions of the first and second base layercontrollers. The first base layer controller can compare the datacollected from the first station to the parameters received from themachine controller, and can set an alarm when one or more values of thedata elements of the collected data is outside of the parameters. Thesecond base layer controller can compare the data collected from thesecond station to the parameters received from the machine controller,and can set an alarm when one or more values of the data elements of thecollected data is outside of the parameters.

In another example, the automation operating system can be used tocontrol a machine comprising a first controller, a first elementactuable by the first controller at machine start-up to perform a firstcycle characterized by a first cycle time, and a second element actuableby the first controller at machine start-up to perform a second cyclecharacterized by a second cycle time. In one example, the first cycletime is longer in duration than the second cycle time such that inoperation, the first controller actuates the first element to performthe first cycle at machine start-up and delays actuation of the secondelement to perform the second cycle by a first delay time, such that thesecond element performs the second cycle at a delayed start timerelative to the machine start-up. In this example, the sum of theduration of the first delay time and the second cycle time is less thanthe first cycle time. This control method is advantaged by decreasingpower consumption demand at machine start-up without increasing theduration of time the workpiece remains in the machine, as the durationof time the workpiece remains in the machine continues to be controlledby the cycle time of the element performing the cycle of longestduration. In the present example, the first controller delays actuationof the second element by the delay time when the sum of the duration ofthe delay time and the second cycle time is less than a predeterminedlimit, where the predetermined limit is less than the first cycle time.The system can include a power source for energizing the first elementand the second element, where the power source is in communication withthe first controller. The first control can command the power source toenergize the first element at machine start-up and can command the powersource to energize the second element at the delayed start time.

In this example, the machine can further include a second controller anda third element actuable by the second controller at machine start-up toperform a third cycle characterized by a third cycle time, where thethird cycle time is shorter in duration than the first cycle time. Thesecond controller can delay actuation of the third element to performthe third cycle by a second delay time, such that the third elementperforms the third cycle at a delayed start time relative to the machinestart-up, where the sum of the duration of the second delay time and thethird cycle time is less than the first cycle time, and the duration ofthe first delay time can be different from the duration of the seconddelay time. Continuing with this example, the machine can furtherinclude a third controller in communication with the first controllerand the second controller, where the third controller includesprogramming defining a sequence of operations including the first,second and third cycles, and where the first delay time and the seconddelay time are defined by the sequence of operations, and the firstcontroller receives the first delay time from the third controller, andthe second controller receives the second delay time from the thirdcontroller. The third controller can collect actual timing data for thefirst cycle and actual timing data for the second cycle from the firstcontroller, and can collect actual timing data for the third cycle fromthe second controller, then use the actual timing data which has beencollected to determine at least one of the first delay time and thesecond delay time.

The above features and advantages, and other features and advantages, ofthe present teachings are readily apparent from the following detaileddescription of some of the best modes and other embodiments for carryingout the present teachings, as defined in the appended claims, when takenin connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an example of an automation operating andmanagement system including first, second, third and fourth levelcontrollers;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an example of a machine including a firstlevel controller and a second level controller;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an example of a first level controller anda second level controller of the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an example of a second level controllerand a third level controller of the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a facility management system of the systemof FIG. 1, showing a plurality of machines grouped in zones;

FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of an example of a cycle time chartfor the machine of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of an example of a modified cycletime chart for the machine of FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of an example of a machine sequenceof operations of a machine of the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a schematic illustration of an example of a machine heartbeatof the sequence of operations of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a schematic illustration of an example of a machine controlinterface showing the machine sequence of operations of FIG. 8 displayedon a user device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is a schematic illustration of an example of a machine controlinterface showing the machine heartbeat of FIG. 9 displayed on a userdevice of FIG. 1;

FIG. 12 is a schematic illustration of an example of a user device ofFIG. 1; and

FIG. 13 is a schematic illustration of an example of a machine heartbeatof a group of elements of the machine of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the drawings wherein like reference numbers represent likecomponents throughout the several figures, the elements shown in FIGS.1-13 are not to scale or proportion. Accordingly, the particulardimensions and applications provided in the drawings presented hereinare not to be considered limiting. FIG. 1 shows an automation operatingand management system 10 for controlling systems, machines, and elementsoperating within an enterprise 12. The automation operating andmanagement system 10 may be referred to herein as an automationoperating system (AOS). The enterprise 12 includes an enterprise serverL4, which may also be referred to herein as a fourth layer server, forreceiving and consolidating data from multiple facilities 14 (shown inthe example of FIG. 1 as facilities 14A . . . 14 x and referred toherein collectively as facilities 14) within the enterprise 12. Each ofthe facilities 14 includes a facility server L3, which may also bereferred to herein as a third layer server, for receiving andconsolidating data from multiple facility systems SY (shown in theexample of FIG. 1 as systems SY1 . . . SYm and referred to hereincollectively as systems SY) within each of the facilities 14. Eachfacility server L3 is in communication with the enterprise server L4. Atleast one of the facility systems SY in each of the facilities 14 (shownin the example of facility 14A as system SY1) includes multiple machines16 (shown in the example of FIG. 1 as machines 16A . . . 16 y andreferred to herein collectively as machines 16). The machines 16 can beany machines that perform coordinated operations including automatedmachines. In an illustrative and non-limiting example described hereinthe machines 16 can be machines such as automated machines performingoperations in a manufacturing plant and/or an assembly facility. Theenterprise server L4 can be embodied as one or more computer deviceshaving a processor 94 and a memory 92, some of which iscomputer-readable tangible, non-transitory memory arranged on a printedcircuit board or otherwise available to the processor 94. Instructionsembodying the methods described herein may be programmed into memory 92and executed as needed via the processor 94 to provide functionality ofthe AOS 10 as described herein. The memory 92 may include, by way ofexample, sufficient read only memory (ROM), optical memory, flash orother solid state memory, and the like. Transitory memory such as randomaccess memory (RAM) and electrically-erasable programmable read-onlymemory (EEPROM) may also be included, along with other requiredcircuitry (not shown), including but not limited to a high-speed clock,current/voltage/temperature/speed/position sensing circuitry,analog-to-digital (A/D) circuitry, digital-to-analog (D/A) circuitry, adigital signal processor, and any necessary input/output (I/O) devicesand other signal conditioning and/or buffer circuitry. The enterpriseserver L4 can include a communications interface 96 for communicationwith other controllers and/or servers in the enterprise 12, includingfor example, for communication with each of a third layer server L3, asecond layer controller L2 and a first layer controller L1 of theenterprise 12. The fourth layer (enterprise) server L4, third layerservers L3, second layer controllers L2 and first layer controllers L1can be in communication with each other via a network 80, which may be awired or wireless network.

AOS 10 can include a data storage memory 90 which can be used to storedata received from one or more of the fourth layer server L4, thirdlayer servers L3, second layer controllers L2 and first layercontrollers L1. By way of example, the data storage memory 90 may beaccessed via the network 80 and/or may be external to the enterprise 12,for external data storage. The data storage memory 90 can be accessiblevia the enterprise server L4 and/or via the network 80. The data storagememory 90 can include, by way of example, sufficient read only memory(ROM), optical memory, flash or other solid state memory, and the liketo store data received from the enterprise 12. Transitory memory such asrandom access memory (RAM) and electrically-erasable programmableread-only memory (EEPROM) may also be included, along with otherrequired circuitry (not shown), including but not limited to ahigh-speed clock, analog-to-digital (A/D) circuitry, digital-to-analog(D/A) circuitry, a digital signal processor, and any necessaryinput/output (I/O) devices and other signal conditioning and/or buffercircuitry.

AOS 10 can further include one or more user devices (shown in theexample of FIG. 1 as user devices U1 . . . Uw and referred to hereincollectively as user devices U) in communication with the enterprise 12,via a wired connection or a wireless connection, for example, via thenetwork 80. By way of non-limiting example, a user device U can be acomputing device such as a personal computer, tablet, laptop, smartphone, personal digital assistant, or other personal computing devicefor viewing information including data related to and/or provided by theenterprise 12. In one example, the user device U can display a machinecontrol interface for one or more of the machines 16. The user device Ucan include a user interface such as a touch screen for interacting withthe information and data of the enterprise 12 and/or for controlling themachine 16 via the machine control interface.

In the example shown, each of the machines 16 includes a second layercontroller L2 and one or more first layer controllers L1. Each of themachine controllers L2 (shown in the example of FIG. 1 as machinecontrollers L2A . . . L2 y and referred to herein collectively asmachine controllers L2) within a respective facility 14 are incommunication with the respective facility controller L3 for thatfacility 14. A second layer controller L2 may also be referred to hereinas a machine controller. Each machine controller L2 of a respectivemachine 16 is in communication with the first layer controllers L1 ofthat respective machine. A first layer controller L1 may be referred toherein as a base layer controller. The machine controllers L2 and thebase layer controllers L1 can each perform specific functions incontrolling and monitoring the operation of the machine 16. Each machinecontroller L2 and each base layer controller L1 can be embodied as oneor more computer devices having a processor and memory, some of which iscomputer-readable tangible, non-transitory memory arranged on a printedcircuit board or otherwise available to the processor. Instructions maybe programmed into the memory of each of the machine controllers L2 andeach of the base layer controllers L1 and executed as needed via theprocessor of the respective controller L2, L1 to provide the controlfunctionality over the machines 16 and/or elements E within the controlof each respective machine controller L2 and/or each respective baselayer controller L1. The memory of each machine controller L2 and eachbase layer controller L1 can include, by way of example, sufficient readonly memory (ROM), optical memory, flash or other solid state memory,and the like. Transitory memory such as random access memory (RAM) andelectrically-erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) may also beincluded, along with other required circuitry (not shown), including butnot limited to a high-speed clock,current/voltage/temperature/speed/position sensing circuitry,analog-to-digital (A/D) circuitry, digital-to-analog (D/A) circuitry, adigital signal processor, and any necessary input/output (I/O) devicesand other signal conditioning and/or buffer circuitry. Each machinecontroller L2 and each base layer controller L1 can include one or moremonitoring, measuring and/or control devices for monitoring, measuringand/or controlling the machines 16 and/or elements E within the controlof each respective machine controller L2 and/or each respective baselayer controller L1.

Each machine 16 includes a plurality of stations ST (shown in theexample of FIGS. 1 and 2 as stations ST1 . . . STn and referred toherein collectively as stations ST) for performing an operational cycleof the machine 16, where the operational cycle includes operations ofthe machine 16 performed in a predetermined sequence controlled by thebase layer controller L1 and/or the machine controller L2 of the machine16. The predetermined sequence in which the operations in theoperational cycle is performed can be defined by a sequence ofoperations 39 and/or a portion of a sequence of operations 39 definedfor that machine 16 by the machine controller L2 of the machine 16. Itwould be understood that the machine 16 would, in operation, repeatedlyperform the operational cycle comprising the sequence of operations 39under control of the machine controller L2 and/or the base layercontroller L1.

Each of the base layer controllers L1 (shown in the example of FIGS. 1and 2 as base layer controllers L1A . . . L1 z and referred to hereincollectively as the base layer controllers L1) controls operationsperformed by at least one of the stations ST in communication with therespective base layer controller L1. As shown in FIG. 2, each station STincludes one or more elements E (shown in the example of FIG. 2 aselements E1 . . . Ep and referred to herein collectively as elements E),for performing various operations and/or tasks of the respective stationST. Using an illustrative example of a manufacturing and/or assemblyenterprise 12, examples of elements E used to perform the variousoperations of a manufacturing and/or assembly operation performed by amachine 16 and/or station ST can include clamps, cylinders, collets,pins, slides, pallets, etc., where the examples provided herein arenon-limiting.

Each station ST further includes one or more power sources P (shown inthe example of FIG. 2 as power sources P1 . . . Pr and referred toherein collectively as power sources P), for providing power to one ormore elements E and for selectively energizing a respective element E inresponse to a signal from the base layer controller L1. Each station STfurther includes one or more sensors S (shown in the example of FIG. 2as sensors S1 . . . Sq and referred to herein collectively as sensorsS), for sensing a state of at least one of the elements E and the powersource P of the station ST and providing an input to the base layercontroller L1 indicating the state sensed by the sensor S.

A state, which may be referred to as a condition state or as acondition, as used herein, refers to a state of the object, a condition,a status, a position, or other property being monitored, measured and/orsensed. Non-limiting examples of condition states including cycle starttime, cycle stop time, element start time, element travel, element stoptime, position of an element or object, a dimensional measurement of anobject which can include a dimensional measurement of a feature of anelement E, a feature of a machine 16, a feature of a workpiece (notshown) to which an operation is being performed by a machine 16 or anelement E, a condition of one or more of an element E, machine 16 orworkpiece, or a condition of the environment within the facility 14. Acondition state could further include for example, operating conditionssuch as on, off, open, closed, auto, manual, stalled, blocked, starved,traveling, stopped, faulted, OK, good, bad, in tolerance, out oftolerance, present, not present, extended, retracted, high, low, etc.,and can include for example, a measure of a physical property such aschemistry, temperature, color, shape, position, dimensional conditionssuch as size, surface finish, thread form, functional parameters such asvoltage, current, torque, pressure, force, etc., such that it would beunderstood that the terms state, condition and/or condition state asdescribing inputs to the AOS 10 are intended to be defined broadly. Byway of non-limiting example, a sensor S may be configured as a limitswitch, a proximity switch, a photo eye, a temperature sensor, apressure sensor, a flow switch, or any other type of sensor which may beconfigured to determine if one or more states are met during operationof the automated system 10, and to provide an output to the at least oneautomation controller, such as the base layer controller L1 and/or themachine layer controller L2, which is received by the controller L1, L2as an input corresponding to the state determined by the sensor S. Thesensor S output may be configured, for example, as a signal provided tothe base layer controller L1 and/or to the machine layer controller L2,and received by the base layer controller L1 and/or to the machine layercontroller L2 as an input including input data. The sensor S may beconfigured to provide a discrete or bit-form output. The sensor S may beconfigured as an analog sensor and may provide an analog output signalcorresponding to one or more of multiple states of a element E or agroup of elements E associated with the sensor S, or one or more ofmultiple states of an environment of the machine 16 and/or theenvironment of the facility 14 including the machine 16.

The predetermined sequence of operations in the operational cycle can bedefined by a sequence of operations 39 and/or a portion of a sequence ofoperations 39 defined for that machine 16 by the machine controller L2of the machine 16. In one example, the machine controller L2 can performthe functions of the machine controller L2 and the base layercontrollers L1, such that the machine 16 can be configured without thebase layer controllers L1. In this example, the machine 16 would, inoperation, repeatedly perform the operational cycle comprising thesequence of operations 39 under the independent control of the machinecontroller L2.

In another example, the controller functions may be divided between thebase layer controllers L1 and the machine controller L2, with the baselayer controllers L1 functioning as low level controllers and themachine controllers L2 functioning as a high level controllercoordinating the operation of the base layer controllers L1 within themachine 16. In this example, the machine 16 would, in operation,repeatedly perform the operational cycle comprising the sequence ofoperations 39 under the control of the machine controller L2 and thebase layer controllers L1, where the machine controller L2 acts as adata collector collecting the condition state data for each of theelements E of the machine 16 from each of the respective base layercontrollers L1, and acts as a local area controller to coordinate andcontrol the interaction of the base layer controllers L1 with eachother. In this example, each base layer controller L1 within the machine16 is in communication with each other base layer controller L1 withinthe machine 16 and with the machine controller L2 to communicatecondition states of each of the elements E controlled by that respectivebase layer controller L1, such that each base layer controller L1 canexecute control actions of the respective elements E under the controlof the respective base layer controller L1 in response to the conditionstate data received from the other base layer controllers L1 in themachine 16.

For illustrative purposes and by way of non-limiting example, theenterprise 12 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 may be a production enterpriseincluding a plurality of manufacturing and/or assembly facilities 14,such as facilities 14A, 14B and 14C. In one example, the facilities 14A,14B and 14C may be co-located within the production enterprise 12, forexample, each of the facilities 14A, 14B and 14C may be sub-factories orassembly lines co-located in a larger building defining the productionenterprise 12. In another example, each of the facilities 14A, 14B and14C may be a stand-alone factory which may be geographically separatedfrom each other and in communication with each other and the enterpriseserver 12, for example, via the network 80. Facility 14A, forillustrative purposes, is shown in additional detail in FIGS. 1 and 2,and includes a facility server L3A which is in communication withmultiple systems SY such as systems SY1, SY2 and SY3 operating in thefacility 14A. In the example shown, system SY1 includes manufacturingand/or assembly operations consisting of multiple machines 16 such asmachines 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D and 16E.

In the illustrative example, machine 16A is shown in additional detailin FIG. 2, consisting of multiple stations ST such as stations ST1through ST10. Machine 16A includes a machine controller L2A incommunication with multiple base layer controllers L1 such as base layercontrollers L1A, L1B and L1C. Each of the base layer controllers L1A,L1B and L1C acts to control multiple stations ST according toinstructions received from the machine controller L2A, to performoperations, for example, defined by a sequence of operations 39 storedin the machine controller L2A. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, baselayer controller L1A can control the operations of stations ST1, ST2,ST3, ST4 by selectively activating the power sources P1, P2 and P3 toselectively actuate elements E1, E2, E3 and E4. The base layercontroller L1A receives sensor outputs from the sensors S1, S2, S3 andS4 which indicate condition states, for example, of the elements E1, E2,E3 and E4. The base layer controller L1A is in communication with baselayer controllers L1B and L1C in the present example, and receivescondition state input from base layer controllers L1B and L1C indicatingthe condition states of elements E5 through E10. The base layercontroller L1A selectively actuates the elements E1, E2, E3 and E4according to instructions stored in the memory of the base layercontroller L1A, inputs and instructions received from the machinecontroller L2A and in response to the condition states of the elementsE1 through E10, in the present example, received by the base layercontroller L1A. The examples described herein and shown in FIGS. 1 and 2related to machine 16A are illustrative and non-limiting. For example,each of the machines 16 controlled and/or managed by AOS 10 couldinclude a machine controller L2, however could differ in including abase layer controller L1 and/or the number of base layer controllers L1included in the machine 16, and could differ in the number, arrangement,function, etc. of the stations ST, elements E, sensors S and powersources P from the illustrative example of machine 16A shown in FIGS. 1and 2.

In the present illustrative example, facility systems SY2 and SY3 shownin FIGS. 1 and 2 can operate in the facility 14A and can be operatedand/or managed using the AOS 10 in a manner and/or to provide outputswhich can affect the operations of system SY1 in facility 14A, includingaffecting the efficiency and/or downtime of the machines 16 included inthe system SY1. Each of the systems SY2, SY3 includes one or moreservers (not shown, referred to herein as a SY server) which can beembodied as one or more computer devices having a processor and memory,some of which is computer-readable tangible, non-transitory memoryarranged on a printed circuit board or otherwise available to theprocessor. Instructions may be programmed into the memory of each SYserver and executed as needed via the processor of the SY server toprovide monitoring and/or control functionality over the facilityoperations within the control of the respective SY system. The memory ofthe SY server can include, by way of example, sufficient read onlymemory (ROM), optical memory, flash or other solid state memory, and thelike. Transitory memory such as random access memory (RAM) andelectrically-erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) may also beincluded, along with other required circuitry (not shown), including butnot limited to a high-speed clock,current/voltage/temperature/speed/position sensing circuitry,analog-to-digital (A/D) circuitry, digital-to-analog (D/A) circuitry, adigital signal processor, and any necessary input/output (I/O) devicesand other signal conditioning and/or buffer circuitry. Each of thesystems SY2, SY3 can include one or more monitoring, measuring and/orcontrol devices and/or sensors for monitoring, measuring and or sensinga state of the facility operations within the control of the respectiveSY system.

In the present illustrative example of a production enterprise 12,system SY2 can be a facility management system, which may be referred toherein as a facility infrastructure system SY2, for monitoring,measuring and/or controlling various factors of the infrastructure andoperating environment of facility 14A, such as electrical power supplyprovided to the various power sources P, water supply provided tohydraulic and/or coolant systems within the facility 14A and/or coolantsystems related to the machines 16, compressed air supply providedwithin the facility 14A, for example, to pneumatic systems of themachines 16, to pneumatically operated elements E, and/or topneumatically controlled manual tools such as pneumatic torch wrencheswhich may be used in manufacturing and/or assembly operations within thefacility 14A. It would be understood that variability in each of theelectrical power supply, water supply, and compressed air supply couldaffect the operation, efficiency and downtime of one or more of themachines 16 and/or elements E. For example, a decrease in the pressureof the compressed air supply provided to a pneumatically controlledelement E such as a cylinder may decrease the speed at which thecylinder element E travels, increasing the cycle time required for thecylinder element E to travel when performing an operation of a machine16. For example, an increase in temperature of cooling water circulatingin a cooling water jacket of a machine 16 such as a welding machine, maychange the efficiency of heat transfer from a work area of the machine16, affecting the tool life of the welding elements E in the machine 16and/or the cooling rate of the welds being formed in a product welded bythe machine 16. For example, variability in the voltage level of theincoming power supply provided to a power source P can affect theresponse time of a clamp element E activated by the power source P,thereby affecting the cycle time of the operation performed by the clampelement E. By way of example, system SY2 can monitor, measure, and/orcontrol ambient conditions within the facility 14A, or within a portionof the facility 14A, such as temperature, humidity, etc. For example,the facility 14A may be portioned into multiple zones 98 such as zones98A, 98B, 98C shown in FIG. 5, where at least one of the machines 16 islocated in each zone. By way of example, one of the zones 98A, 98B, 98Ccan include machines 16 which are performing operations sensitive toambient temperature and/or humidity conditions, such as an electronicsfabrication operation or a painting operation, such that variability inthe ambient temperature and/or humidity in that zone may affect thequality of the product produced by the machines 16 in that area. Theseexamples are non-limiting and for illustrative purposes, and it would beunderstood that variability within facility controlled systems andconditions such as power supply, water supply, compressed air supply,temperature, humidity, etc. can affect the operation of the machines 16,elements E and/or can affect the quality and/or condition of theproducts produced by and/or the services provided by the machines 16 inmultiple ways too numerous to include herein. System SY2 can transmitsignals (inputs) to the facility server L3A indicating condition statesof the various factors of the operating environment of facility 14Abeing monitored, measured, and/or controlled by the facility server L3A.

In the present illustrative example of a production enterprise 12,system SY3 can include production control and product assuranceoperations and can monitor, measure and/or control various factors ofthe production control and product assurance operations which impact theoperation of manufacturing and production system SY1 of facility 14A.For example, the production control operations of system SY3 can monitorinventory levels (on order, in transit, in stock) of machine parts forthe machines 16, which may include replaceable service parts (motors,etc.) sensors S (limit switches, etc.) and/or elements E which caninclude durable (reusable) elements such as clamps, cylinders, etc.and/or consumable (replaceable) elements E such as drills, taps, clamppads, etc. required for a station ST to complete an operation and/or forthe machine 16 to operate. In another illustrative example, theproduction control operations of system SY3 can monitor inventory levels(on order, in transit, in stock) of vendor supplied (purchased)components and/or material which are provided to the machines 16, forexample, as raw material or work pieces on which operations areperformed by the machines 16, or are provided to the machines 16, forexample, as components to be assembled with other components to form afinished assembly. The product assurance operation, for example, canmonitor the condition of vendor supplier (purchased) components and/ormaterials and indicate the acceptance or rejection of the vendorsupplied materials, which could affect the availability of thatinventory to the machines 16. In another illustrative example, theproduct assurance operation can measure and output a condition state ofa component or raw material to the facility server L3 and/or to amachine controller L2 of a machine 16 processing the component or rawmaterial, such that the machine 16 in response can adjust settings basedon the measured condition state of the incoming component or rawmaterial. For example, a machine 16 may be an oven to temper componentsmade from raw material. The machine 16 via the facility controller L3can receive hardness data for the raw material from the productassurance system SY3 and adjust the tempering temperature of the ovenbased on the hardness of the raw material. These examples arenon-limiting and for illustrative purposes, and it would be understoodthat the condition of components and/or raw material monitored and/ormeasured by the product assurance operations of the system SY3, theinventory levels of components and/or raw material and the availabilityof machine parts for the machines 16 and elements E controlled andmonitored by the production control operations of the system SY3 canaffect the operational efficiency and/or downtime of the machines 16and/or elements E and/or can affect the quality and/or condition of theproducts produced by and/or the services provided by the machines 16 inmultiple ways too numerous to include herein. System SY3 can transmitsignals (inputs) to the facility server L3A indicating condition statesof the various factors of the operating environment of facility 14Abeing monitored, measured, and/or controlled by the facility server L3A.

In the present illustrative example, the facility server L3A acts as adata collector within the AOS 10 for collecting the inputs received fromthe systems SY1, SY2 and SY3, and can analyze and use the accumulateddata and inputs to identify and respond to operating conditionsthroughout the facility 14A, including implementing preventive actionsto minimize downtime, efficiency losses and/or productivity losses, bycontrolling and modifying the operations within the facility 16A, whichcan include outputting commands to the machine controllers L2A throughL2E and outputting commands to systems SY2 and SY3, for example, inresponse to condition states and inputs received from the machinecontrollers L2A through L2E and systems SY2 and SY3, to modify theoperating conditions within the facility 14A, the sequence of operations39 performed by the various stations ST, the machines 16 and/or stationsST used to perform one or more operations, etc., to improve efficiency,decrease and/or optimize power consumption within the facility, increaseproductivity, reduce or avoid downtime, etc. in response to the analysisof the data by the facility server L3A. The AOS 10 is advantaged byaccumulating the data and inputs from multiple production (SY1) andnon-production (SY2, SY3) systems and multiple machines within afacility 14, analyzing the accumulated data and inputs using a facilityserver L3 to identify issues which may not be identifiable by theindependent machine controllers L2, for example where such issues mayresult from interactions of multiple inputs which are outside the scopeof inputs controlled by any one of the machine controllers L2, and/orwhich may be identifiable only by combination of inputs from multiplesources (multiple machines 16, a machine 16 and system input from one ormore of systems SY2, SY3, etc.), and using the AOS 10 to identify,action responses to, manage and/or prevent issues using the collectiveresources of the facility 14.

In the present illustrative example, the enterprise server L4 acts as adata collector for the inputs and data received from the facilityservers L3A, L3B and L3C. The enterprise server L4 can analyze and usethe accumulated data and inputs to control and modify the operationswithin one or more of the facilities 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D and 16E,including implementing preventive actions to minimize downtime,efficiency losses and/or productivity losses, by controlling andmodifying the operations of one or more of the facilities 16A, 16B, 16C,16D and 16E, in response to an issue or condition identified in one ormore of the facilities 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D and 16E, which can include,for example, transferring production between facilities 16 inanticipation of or in response to a downtime event, to increaseefficiency based on the operational condition of a machine 16 in onefacility 14 as compared to an identical and/or substantially similarmachine 16 in another facility 14, to respond to inputs received fromthe non-production systems SY2 and/or SY3 indicating for example, afacility power supply issue or incoming material issue, etc. The AOS 10is advantaged by accumulating the data and inputs from facilities 14,analyzing the accumulated data and inputs using the enterprise server L4to identify issues which may not be identifiable by the independentfacility servers L3, for example where such issues may result frominteractions of multiple inputs which are outside the scope of inputscontrolled by or received into any one of the facility servers L3,and/or which may be identifiable only by a combination of inputs frommultiple facilities L4, and using the AOS 10 to identify, actionresponses to, manage and/or prevent issues using the collectiveresources of the enterprise 12.

The examples described herein and shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 related tofacility 14A are illustrative and non-limiting, and it would beunderstood that the facilities 14 other than facility 14A included inthe enterprise 12 can each include at least one machine 16 configuredsimilar to machine 16A to include a base layer controller L1 and amachine controller L2, however the number and configuration of each ofthe machines 16 may vary within a facility 14 and from one facility 14to another facility 14, and each of the machines 16 may include elementsE and sensors S arranged in stations ST other than those described forthe example of machine 16A to perform operations other than thoseperformed as described for machine 16A.

The example of an enterprise 12 including facilities 14 such asmanufacturing plants and/or assembly facilities is not intended to belimiting. An AOS 10 as described herein can be applied to the controland management of any type of enterprise 12 including machines 16performing coordinated operations, and as such it would be understoodthat the terms enterprise 12, facility 14, machine 16, element E andsensor S are intended to be defined broadly. By way of non-limitingexample, an enterprise 12 can be an amusement park including an AOS 10,where the facilities 14 and machines 16 are defined by different areasof the amusement park and the systems SY can include, for example, asecurity system for the amusement park and an infrastructure system(water, power, waste disposal, etc.) of the amusement park. In such anexample, an amusement ride facility 14A can include machines 16 formingthe amusement rides, an admission ticketing facility 14B can includemachines 16 for receiving and securing payment for tickets, a diningfacility 14C can include machines 16 for providing food service, aparking facility 14C can include machines 16 for receiving parking feesand monitoring and patrolling the parking area, etc. In anothernon-limiting example, an enterprise 12 including an AOS 10 may be aproperty development, such as an office building complex, where eachfacility 14 includes one or more buildings within the complex, and themachines 16 operating in each facility 14 include, for example,elevators, security cameras, heating and ventilation equipment, etc.

FIG. 3 illustrates the division of controller functions within the AOS10 between the machine controller L2 and the base layer controllers L1of a machine 16 to control the operations of the multiple stations ST ofthe machine 16, and such that the machine controller L2 performs highlevel control functions and the base layer controllers L1 perform lowlevel functions in controlling the operation of the machine 16. In anillustrative non-limiting example, the machine controller L2 shown inFIGS. 3 and 4 can be machine controller L2A for controlling theoperation of machine 16A shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and the facilitycontroller L3 shown in FIG. 4 can be the facility controller L3A shownin FIGS. 1 and 2 in communication with the machine controller L2A.Machine 16A includes a first base layer controller L1A controllingstations ST1, ST2, ST3 and ST4, a second base layer controller L1Bcontrolling stations ST5, ST6, and ST7, and a third base layercontroller L1C controlling stations ST8, ST9, and ST10. Each of the baselayer controllers L1A, L1B and L1C are in communication with each otherand with the machine controller L2A. The base layer controller L1 shownin FIG. 3 can be, for illustrative purposes, the base layer controllerL1A shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 for controlling the operation of stationsST1, ST2, ST3 and ST4 of the machine 16A, where station ST1 is poweredby power source P1, station ST2 is powered by power source P2, andstations ST3 and ST4 are powered by power source P3. The power sourcesP1, P2, and P3 can be hydraulic, electrical, or pneumatic, or acombination of these. Station ST1 includes at least one element E1actuable by the base layer controller L1A to perform an operation of themachine 16, and includes at least one sensor Si to sense a conditionstate of the at least one element E1. Similarly, stations ST2, ST3 andST4 each include a respective element E2, E3 and E4 to perform arespective operation of the machine 16, and a respective sensor S2, S3,S4 to sense a condition state of the respective element E2, E3 and E4.

As shown in FIG. 3, a base layer controller L1 such as the base layercontroller L1A includes a processor 38 and a memory 40, some of which iscomputer-readable tangible, non-transitory memory arranged on a printedcircuit board or otherwise available to the processor 38. In anillustrative example, instructions may be programmed into the memory 40of the base layer controller L1A and executed as needed via theprocessor 38 to control the elements E1, E2, E3 and E4 in communicationwith the base layer controller L1A. The memory 40 of the base layercontroller L1A can include, by way of example, sufficient read onlymemory (ROM), optical memory, flash or other solid state memory, and thelike. Transitory memory such as random access memory (RAM) andelectrically-erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) may also beincluded, along with other required circuitry (not shown), including butnot limited to a high-speed clock, analog-to-digital (A/D) circuitry,digital-to-analog (D/A) circuitry,current/voltage/temperature/speed/position sensing circuitry, a digitalsignal processor, and any necessary input/output (I/O) devices and othersignal conditioning and/or buffer circuitry. The base layer controllerL1A includes a communication interface 48 for communicating with, forexample, the machine controller L2A, the other base layer controllersL1B and L1C of the machine 16A, the sensors S1, S2, S3 and S4 (S1 . . .S4), the power sources P1, P2, P3 and P4 (P1 . . . P4), and the elementsE1, E2, E3 and E4 (E1 . . . E4). The operation of the base layercontroller L1A is limited to performing low level functions incontrolling the operation of the elements E1 . . . E4, such that thebase layer controller L1A is configured as an automation controller,with the memory 40 including an automation control memory 42, asupervisory parameter memory 44, a sensory timing data matrix 46, andother memory as required to perform the functions described herein. Theautomation control memory 42 of the base layer controller L1A storesprogramming required to directly control the motions of the elements E1. . . E4, where the motions are controlled, e.g., the elements E1 . . .E4 are actuated via the power sources P1 . . . P4, by the base layercontroller L1A, in response to the condition states of the elements E1 .. . E10 communicated to the base layer controller L1A, and according toparameters received by the base layer controller L1A from the machinecontroller L2A and stored in the supervisory parameter memory 44 of thebase layer controller L1A. The condition states of the elements E1 . . .E4 are received by the base layer controller L1A as sensor outputs fromthe sensors S1 . . . S4 and stored in memory 40, for example, in thesensory timing data matrix 46. The condition states of the elements E5 .. . E10 are communicated to the base layer controller L1A from the baselayer controllers L1B and L1C. The timing of condition transitions foreach of the elements E1 . . . E4 when performing an operation commandedby the automation controller function of the base layer controller L1Ais stored in memory 40, for example, in the sensory timing data matrix46. Timing data stored in the sensory timing data matrix 46 can include,for example, a start time and a stop time for each motion or operationstep performed by each of the elements E1 . . . E4, and a cycle time foreach motion or operation step performed by each of the elements E1 . . .E4. The timing data stored in the sensory timing data matrix 46 can beretrieved by the machine controller L2A for collection, analysis and/orstorage by the machine controller L2A. The parameters stored in thesupervisory parameter memory 44 can include tolerance limits for each ofthe condition states sensed by the sensors S1 . . . S4, and/or tolerancelimits for the timing of condition transitions for each of the elementsE1 . . . E4 when performing an operation commanded by the automationcontroller function of the base layer controller L1A. The base layercontroller L1A can compare the actual timing data for each occurrence ofeach operation step and/or motion performed by each of the elements E1 .. . E4 to the tolerance limits applicable to that timing data, and canset an alarm which is communicated to the machine controller L2A whenthe timing data is outside of the tolerance limits. The alarm may bedisplayed on a machine control interface 84 displayed on a user device Uas a fault, as shown for element E4 in FIG. 13. In summary, the lowlevel functions of the base layer controller L1A include control of themotion of each of the elements E1, E2, E3 and E4 controlled by the baselayer controller L1A according to parameters set by the machinecontroller L2A, collecting and storing data received from the sensors S1. . . S4, including condition state data and timing data of conditiontransitions for each of the elements E1 . . . E4, comparing thecondition state data and/or timing data to predetermined tolerances forthe data, and sending an alarm to the machine controller L2A when thecondition state data and/or the timing data of the condition transitionsfor any of the elements E1 . . . E4 is outside of tolerance limitsreceived from the machine controller L2A.

As shown in FIG. 3, a machine controller L2 such as, in an illustrativeexample, the machine controller L2A, includes a processor 30 and memory24, some of which is computer-readable tangible, non-transitory memoryarranged on a printed circuit board or otherwise available to theprocessor 30. Instructions may be programmed into the memory 24 of themachine controller L2A and executed as needed via the processor 30 tocontrol functionality of the machine 16A including the base layercontrollers L1. The memory 24 of the machine controller L2A can include,by way of example, sufficient read only memory (ROM), optical memory,flash or other solid state memory, and the like. Transitory memory suchas random access memory (RAM) and electrically-erasable programmableread-only memory (EEPROM) may also be included, along with otherrequired circuitry (not shown), including but not limited to ahigh-speed clock, analog-to-digital (A/D) circuitry, digital-to-analog(D/A) circuitry, current/voltage/temperature/speed/position sensingcircuitry, a digital signal processor, and any necessary input/output(I/O) devices and other signal conditioning and/or buffer circuitry. Themachine controller L2A includes a communication interface 36 forcommunicating with the facility server L3A and the base layercontrollers L1A, L1B and L1C of the machine 16A. The machine controllerL2A can, in one example, communicate with one or more of the userdevices U connected to the machine controller L2A via the network 80,which can include displaying a machine control interface 84 to a user ofthe user device U which can be used by the user to monitor data andother information of the machine 16A. The machine controller L2Afunctions as a data collector and as a high level controller, e.g., as alocal area controller for the machine 16A, in controlling andcoordinating, in the illustrative example, the operations of the baselevel controllers L1A, L1B and L1C, such that the machine controller L2Afunctions as an automation supervisory controller 26 and a safetycontroller 28 for the machine 16A including stations ST1 . . . ST10. Thememory 24 includes automation and safety control memory 32, supervisoryparameter memory 34, and other memory as required to perform thefunctions described herein. The automation and safety control memory 32stores and runs programming required to control and coordinate thecontrol functions of the base layer controllers L1A, L1B and L1C. Theprogramming stored in the automation control memory 32 can include, forexample, a sequence of operations 39 defining the motions performed bythe stations ST1 . . . ST10 and/or the elements E1 . . . E10, which maybe provided to the machine controller L2A as controller logic such asladder logic, state logic, or other logic expressed in a programminglanguage, and executed by the machine controller L2A and the base levelcontrollers L1A, L1B and L1C to repeatedly perform an operational cycledefined by the sequence of operations 39, including cycle stepsperformed by the stations ST1 . . . ST1 and elements E1 . . . E10. Thesupervisory parameter memory 34 stores supervisory parameters receivedby the machine controller L2A from the facility controller L3A.

Still referring to FIG. 3, path 1, indicated in the figure by thecircled number 1, illustrates both the automation supervisory controller26 and the safety controller 28 can communicate bi-directionally withthe base layer controller L1A. Path 2, indicated in FIG. 3 by thecircled number 2, shows the automation supervisory controller 26 and thesafety controller 28 can set values in the supervisory parameter memory44 of the base layer controller L1A, for example, to define operatingconditions for the base layer controller L1A. Path 3, indicated in FIG.3 by the circled number 3, illustrates the machine controller L2Acollecting data, including for example, condition state data and timingdata, from the base layer controller L1A. Path 4, indicated in FIG. 4 bythe circled number 4, illustrates the data collected by the machinecontroller L2A from the base layer controllers L1A, L1B and L1C that canbe stored in data storage memory 90, which can be an external memorystorage. The data stored in data storage memory 90 can be accessed, forexample, by the enterprise controller L4 for monitoring and analysis.

Referring to FIG. 4, a facility server L3 such as, in an illustrativeexample, the facility server L3A, includes a processor 18 and memory 20,some of which is computer-readable tangible, non-transitory memoryarranged on a printed circuit board or otherwise available to theprocessor 18. The facility controller L3A, in the illustrative example,is in communication with the machine controllers 16A . . . 16E, systemsSY2, SY3 and the enterprise server L4. Instructions may be programmedinto the memory 20 of the facility controllers L3A and executed asneeded via the processor 18 to collect data from the machine controllers16 and the systems SY2 and SY3, to analyze the collected data, and toprovide instructions to one or more of the machine controllers 16A . . .16E and/or the systems SY2 and SY3 in response to the data and/or theresults of the data analysis. The memory 20 of the facility server L3Acan include, by way of example, sufficient read only memory (ROM),optical memory, flash or other solid state memory, and the like.Transitory memory such as random access memory (RAM) andelectrically-erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) may also beincluded, along with other required circuitry (not shown), including butnot limited to a high-speed clock, analog-to-digital (A/D) circuitry,digital-to-analog (D/A) circuitry,current/voltage/temperature/speed/position sensing circuitry, a digitalsignal processor, and any necessary input/output (I/O) devices and othersignal conditioning and/or buffer circuitry. The facility server L3Aincludes a communication interface 22 for communicating with the machinecontrollers L2A . . . L2E, systems SY2, SY3, the enterprise server L4,data storage memory 90 and/or the network 80. The facility server L3A inthe illustrative example, can function within the AOS 10 as anapplication server and control processing controller, analyzing all thedata which is received from the machine controllers L2A . . . L2E andthe systems SY2, SY3, including tracking historical performance of eachelement E within the facility 14A, where the analysis performed isconfigured to foresee potential failures of machines 16 and/or elementsE within the facility 14A, and to instruct lower level controllers suchas machine controllers L2A . . . L2E to execute counteractions to avoidthe potential failure. Data analysis performed by the facility server L3can include historical analysis, trend analysis, predictive analysis,reliability analysis, multi-factor analysis including combining datafrom multiple machines 16 and/or from machines 16 and systems SY2, SY3,benchmark analysis, etc., to identify existing and/or potential issueswithin the facility 14A and to generate instructions to resolve,counteract and/or preferably prevent the issue occurrence. The facilityserver L3 can communicate with the enterprise server L4, for example, toprovide overall performance monitoring, control and management for theenterprise 12 via the AOS 10.

In an illustrative example, a facility 14 may have a station STincluding a robot element E controlled by a base layer controller L1.The facility 14 can maintain one or more back-up robot elements E ininventory, which may be tracked and/or reported by a production controlsystem SY. The facility server L3 in performing analysis of datacollected from the machine controllers L2 in the facility 14, includinghistorical data related to the performance of robot elements E, maypredict, based on current data received for the robot element E which iscurrently in operation in the station ST, a probable failure of therobot element E within a predetermined number of operating cycles. Thefacility server L3 can instruct the machine controller L2 and the systemSY to substitute the back-up robot element E for the robot element Ecurrently in service, thereby preventing failure of the robot element Ewhile operating in the station ST, avoiding the unplanned downtimeand/or other consequences related to a failure of the robot element Ewhile operating, and minimizing the downtime of the station ST and/orthe machine 16 by expeditiously substituting the back-up robot element Eprior to the failure of the robot element E currently in operation,where the base layer controller L1 controls the back-up robot element Eto perform the same functions and/or operations previously performed bythe removed robot element E.

In another example, and referring to FIG. 13, a machine 16 can include aplurality of elements E1 . . . E8 which are clamps. In an illustrativeexample, the machine 16 may be an assembly line configured to assemblevehicles, where malfunctioning of a clamp element E in the assembly line16 causes shut down of the entire assembly line to allow a maintenanceworker to gain access to the malfunctioning clamp element E. The cycletime of each operational cycle performed by each clamp element E can bemonitored by a base layer controller L1 controlling the motion of theclamp element E and compared with a parameter tolerance for the cycletime of the clamp element E. In the example shown in FIG. 13, the cycletime of the group of clamp elements E is displayed, where each verticalbar shows the cycle time of a respective clamp element E relative to abaseline parameter or tolerance for the cycle time of the respectiveclamp element E. In the example shown in FIG. 13, the cycle time data ofthe group of clamp elements E is displayed as a heartbeat of the groupof clamp elements E, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,880,442 B2 issuedNov. 14, 2014 to the inventor and incorporated by reference herein. Asshown in the example of FIG. 13, clamp element E4 has executed anoperational cycle having a cycle time in excess of the baselineparameter shown by line 27. The base layer controller L1 controlling themotion of the clamp element E4 when comparing the actual cycle time tothe baseline parameter sets an alarm to the machine controller L2, whichin turn signals a fault to the facility server L3. The facility serverL3 may analyze the data provided to determine, for example, if the faultis a random occurrence or an indicator that the clamp element E shouldbe removed from operation and a back-up clamp substituted, to minimizedowntime of the assembly line to the downtime required to substitute inthe back-up clamp and/or prevent the unplanned downtime and/or otherefficiency or operational loss which could be associated with a failureof the clamp element E4.

The examples provided herein are non-limiting, and are simplified forillustrative purposes. It would be understood that the scope andcomplexity of data analysis performed by the facility servers L3 and/orthe enterprise server L4 can be substantially more complex than thatindicated by the illustrative examples, such that the AOS 10 can beconfigured and used to predict potential failures of elements within afacility and allow time to automatically deploy countermeasures,including substitution of back-up elements E and/or diversion ofproduction from one machine 16 to another machine 16, to counteractpotential downtime, loss of operational efficiency, or other loss due tounplanned failures in the operation of the facility 14, machines 16and/or elements E. The countermeasures which may be deployed by the AOS10 are not limited to the substitution of back-up elements E, and mayinclude, for example, diverting production from one machine 16 toanother machine 16, diverting production from one zone 98 to anotherzone 98, modifying a sequence of operations 39 to perform the requiredoperation using modified cycle times, modified combinations of elementsE and/or stations ST, etc. The AOS 10 as described herein is advantagedby providing a control methodology which divides the control functionsof a machine 16 between a base layer controller L1 and a machinecontroller L2, which expedites the collection and analysis of data,which can include timing data, by the machine controller L2, facilityserver L3 and/or the enterprise server L4, to allow for predictiveand/or preemptive identification of a potential issue or failure withinthe facility operation and/or a machine 16 and instruction ofcountermeasures to diffuse the issue and/or prevent the failure, thuscreating an operating and management system 10 which enablesself-healing of the enterprise 12, e.g., the implementation ofcountermeasures prior to failure to substantially reduce and/oreliminate downtime within the operations of a facility 14 and/or for amachine 16.

The AOS 10 can collect and analyze data to identify other opportunitiesto improve the efficiency of operating the enterprise 12. In one exampleillustrated by FIGS. 2, 6 and 7, the data collected by the AOS 10 can beused to modify the start times of selected elements E within a machine16 to reduce power consumption, and to reduce the peak power consumptiondemand experienced at machine start-up. In the illustrative example,FIG. 6 shows a heartbeat display 35 of the cycle times for each of theelements E1 through E10 (E1 . . . E10) of stations ST1 through ST10 (ST1. . . ST10) of machine 16A shown in FIG. 2. In the illustrative example,elements E1 . . . E10 are each actuable by and/or controlled by one ofthe base layer controllers L1A, L1B and L1C to perform operations in asequence of operations (SOP) 39 coordinated by the machine controllerL2A. Base layer controller L1A controls stations ST1 . . . ST4, baselayer controller L1B controls stations ST5 . . . ST7, and base layercontroller L1C controls stations ST8 . . . ST10. In a non-limitingexample shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 a legend is provided which includes alegend feature 21 corresponding to a cycle time of an event E, a legendfeature 22 corresponding to a delay time associated with an event E, anda legend feature 25 corresponding to a sum of the cycle time andassociated delay time of an event E. As shown in an illustrative examplein FIG. 6, the cycle time for the operations performed by the elementsE1 . . . E10 vary from one element E to another, with element E1 havingthe shortest cycle time at 25 milliseconds, and element E6 having thelongest cycle time at 55 milliseconds. In a typical operating exampleshown in FIG. 6, each of the base layers controllers L1A, L1B, L1C isstarted at the same start time, such that at time 0, each of thestations ST1 . . . ST10 through its respective power source P1 . . . P10is drawing power from a power supply of the facility 16 to energizeelements E1 . . . E10 in preparation for activating the elements E1 . .. E10 at each of their respective cycle start times as defined by theSOP 39. The simultaneous energizing of each of the stations ST1 . . .ST10 and elements E1 . . . E10 at the start of the operational cycledefined by the SOP 39 causes a power consumption demand which is peak,e.g., at its maximum, at start-up of the machine 16. The AOS 10described herein can be used to collect data, which can include timingdata, for each machine 16, station ST and element E, which can beanalyzed, for example, by the facility server L3 to determineopportunities to delay energizing and/or start times of selectedstations ST and/or elements E to decrease peak power consumption bystaggering the start times of the selected elements E as shown in theexample illustrated by FIG. 7. By modifying the start times of selectedelements E, the peak power consumption demand of the power suppliesprovided by the facility 14 are decreased, and in turn, the total powerconsumed in executing the SOP 39, e.g., in completing the operationalcycle including cycles of the elements E1 . . . E10, is decreased. Asshown in FIG. 6, each of the elements E1 . . . E4 and E8 . . . E10 havecycle times which are substantially shorter than the cycle times ofelements E6 and E7, and as such, the start time of each of the elementsE1 . . . E4 and E8 . . . E10 can be modified, e.g., delayed, to amodified start time as shown by the modified heartbeat display 35A ofFIG. 7, where each of the elements E1 . . . E4 and E8 . . . E10 willcomplete its respective cycle prior to elements E6 and E7, with noimpact to throughput of the workpiece through the machine 16, as theelements E6 and E7 with the longest cycle times have not been modified,and the total time the workpiece is in the machine 16 for completion ofthe SOP 39 performed by that machine 16 has not changed, e.g., remainsunchanged at 55 milliseconds in the present example. For example, asshown by FIGS. 6 and 7, the start time of the 35 second cycle performedby element E2 has been delayed by a delay time having a duration of 10milliseconds relative to machine start-up, e.g., relative to the startof the cycle performed by element E6, and such that the operationperformed by element E2 is completed at 45 milliseconds from machinestart-up and ahead of completion of the longest operation performed byelement E6 and having a cycle time of 55 milliseconds. It would beunderstood, as shown by the example of FIG. 7, that the start times ofselected elements E to be modified may be modified by different amounts,to minimize power consumption peaking later in the machine cycle.Further, it would be understood that modification of the cycle starttimes only requires that the modified cycles be completed prior to thecycle having the longest cycle time (in the example, the cycle ofelement E6 at 55 milliseconds), and that the modified cycles do notnecessarily have to, and preferably are not, completed at the same timeas the longest cycle. In the example shown, the cycle start times of themodified cycles are staggered to decrease peak energy consumption, butare modified such that all of the modified cycles are completed within apredetermined range defined by the longest unmodified cycle, where inthe example show the upper limit of the predetermined range is less thanthe longest unmodified cycle. In the example shown, each of the modifiedcycles of elements E1 . . . E5 and E8 . . . E10 are modified to becompleted within a predetermined range between 40 and 50 millisecondsafter machine start-up, where the start time of the longest cycle beingperformed by element E6 coincides with machine start-up of the machine16, such that all of the modified cycles are completed at least 5milliseconds prior to completion of the longest cycle, e.g., the cycleof element E6. The cycle time of element E7 at 52 milliseconds is lessthan the longest cycle time, e.g., less than the 55 second cycle time ofelement E6, however longer in duration than the upper limit of 50milliseconds defined by the predetermined range of 40 to 50milliseconds. As such, the cycle time of element E7 is not modified, andelements E7 and E6 are concurrently actuated at machine start-up. Thepredetermined range for completing the modified cycles can be determinedby the facility controller L3 based on one or more of historical data,anticipated variability in the cycle time of each of the elements E, thetype of each element E having its cycle start time modified, therequirements of the SOP 39, etc.

By decreasing the peak power consumption demand, the power supplies ofthe facility 14 can potentially be downsized, decreasing theinfrastructure and/or operating (energy) costs of the facility 14. Theuse of modified start times as shown in FIG. 7 is further advantaged bydecreasing the peak power consumption demand on each of the powersupplies of the facility 14, which decreases variability in the level ofpower supplied by the power supply at machine start-up, e.g., decreasevariability in the level of electrical voltage, hydraulic pressure,and/or pneumatic air pressure supplied to the power sources P1 . . . P10at machine start-up, to provide a more consistent and uniform level ofpower to the power sources P1 . . . P10, thus preventing and/ordecreasing process variation caused by power variability. The effect ofthe power consumption reduction is multiplied by the number of machines16 in the facility 14 which are operated using modified start times forone or more elements E in each machine.

The AOS 10 can include one or more user devices U (shown in the exampleof FIGS. 1 and 2 as user devices U . . . Uw and referred to hereincollectively as user devices U) in communication with the data collectedby the AOS 10. In one example, the user device U can be a portablecomputing device such as a personal computer, notebook, tablet, smartphone, personal data assistant, etc., including, as shown in FIG. 12, aprocessor 76 and memory 78, some of which is computer-readable tangible,non-transitory memory arranged on a printed circuit board or otherwiseavailable to the processor 76. The memory 78 may include, by way ofexample, sufficient read only memory (ROM), optical memory, flash orother solid state memory, and the like. Transitory memory such as randomaccess memory (RAM) and electrically-erasable programmable read-onlymemory (EEPROM) may also be included, along with other requiredcircuitry (not shown), including but not limited to a high-speed clock,location sensing circuitry, analog-to-digital (A/D) circuitry,digital-to-analog (D/A) circuitry, a digital signal processor, and anynecessary input/output (I/O) devices and other signal conditioningand/or buffer circuitry. The user device U can include a connector port72 for connecting the user device to another device (not shown). Theuser device U includes a communications interface which can be awireless or wired interface, for connection of the user device U to thenetwork 80 for communication with one or more of the controllers L1, L2,the servers L3, L4, another of the user devices U, and/or the datastorage memory 90. The user device U includes a graphical user interface74, which in a preferred example is a graphical touch screen, such thata user can provide input to the user device 74, including commands, viathe touch screen 74 and/or standard tool bars 82. In one example, theuser may monitor the data collected from one or more of the elements Eand/or machines 16 in the enterprise 12, which may be displayed on theuser device U as a machine control interface 84 (see FIGS. 10 and 11),where the machine control interface 84 can be defined by one of themachine controller L2, the facility server L3 and/or the enterpriseserver L4. In one example, the user may subscribe to receive alerts forone or more elements E and/or machines 16 being monitored by the user,where the alerts may be received by the user on the user device U as oneor more of a text message, instant message, e-mail, or other alertindicator. By way of example, the user can view the heartbeat display 35for the group of clamp elements E1 . . . E8 shown in FIG. 13 on a userdevice U, where the user may receive an alert to view the heartbeat 35in response to an alarm set by the machine controller L2 for element E4and/or a fault set by the facility server L3 for the clamp element E4.In the heartbeat display 35 presented to the user on the user device U,the cycle time displayed for each of the clamp elements E can be colorcoded to indicate a condition state of the each respective element E. Inthe example shown in FIG. 13, element E4 may be a different color, suchas red, to indicate a fault condition resultant from the cycle time ofelement E4 exceeding a tolerance band defined by the baseline heartbeat27. The remaining cycle time bars may be displayed in a green color, forexample, to indicate the associated elements E1, E2, E3, E5, E6, E7 andE8 are operating within the predetermined tolerance, e.g., areexhibiting cycle times with a tolerance band defined by the baselineheartbeat 27.

The example shown in FIG. 13 is non-limiting, and other formats can beused to display data collected and compiled by the AOS 10. For example,referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, timing data can be displayed as shown inFIG. 8 in a traditional sequence of operation (SOP) display format 33,and/or in a heartbeat display format 35. In the SOP display 33 shown inFIG. 8, the sequence of operations 39 corresponding to the data beingdisplayed is listed vertically (as shown on the page), and in thepresent example includes operations Op1 through Op9, with operation Op1being performed by elements E1 and E2 of a machine 16, operation Op 2being performed by elements E3 and E4, and so on. A baseline cycle foreach of the operations Op1 . . . Op9 in the SOP 39 is graphically shownby a baseline cycle indicator 29. The actual cycle for each of theoperations Op1 . . . Op9 is graphically shown by an actual cycleindicator 31. The actual time 37 is displayed horizontally (as shown onthe page), such that the actual time a given operation Op is performedcan be determined. Each of the actual cycle indicators 31 may be colorcoded, e.g., displayed in a color defining the status of the cycle ofthat operation. In the example shown, the actual cycle indicators 31 aredisplayed in either a red or green color, with red indicating the actualcycle time is outside of a predetermined tolerance for the cycle of thatoperation, and green indicating the actual cycle time is withintolerance. In the heartbeat display 35 shown in FIG. 9, the sequence ofoperations (SOP) 39 corresponding to the data is displayed on thehorizontal axis (as shown on the page) with the actual cycle time ofeach operation Op1 . . . Op9 shown in heartbeat display format by anactual cycle time indicator 31, which may be color coded as previouslydescribed for FIG. 8, to indicate whether the cycle time for eachrespective operation is within tolerance. FIG. 9 further displays theheartbeat 88 of the sequence of operations. The data may be displayed tothe user device U in real time, as illustrated by the examples shown inFIGS. 10 and 11. In the example shown in FIG. 10, operations Op1 throughOp4 have been completed and are, in the present example, indicated withan actual cycle indicator 31 which is green showing these operationshave been completed with timing data which is in tolerance. Theoperation Op5 is colored blue and/or may be blinking or otherwisedistinguished in appearance, for example, highlighted in the SOP listing39 to indicate that operation Op5 is currently being performed. Asindicated by arrow 41, the length of the actual cycle indicator 31 willcontinue to increase in real time during performance of operation OpS,and will cease growing in length and change to either red or green, inthe present example, indicating operation Op5 has been completed and thestatus of the timing data of Op5 relative to the SOP tolerances set foroperation OpS. Similarly, in the example shown in FIG. 11, operation Op2is colored blue and/or may be blinking or otherwise distinguished inappearance, for example, highlighted in the SOP listing 39 to indicatethat operation Op2 is currently being performed. As indicated by arrow41, the height of the actual cycle indicator 31 will continue toincrease in real time during performance of operation OpS, and willcease growing in length and change to either red or green, in thepresent example, indicating operation Op2 has been completed and thestatus of the timing data of Op2 relative to the tolerances set foroperation Op2.

The examples provided herein are illustrative and non-limiting, and itwould be understood other arrangements of the data collected by the AOS10 for one or more of an element E, station ST, SOP 39, machine 16and/or facility 14 may be used to display the status and/or conditionsrepresented by the collected data.

The example of an AOS 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is non-limiting, and itwould be understood that the AOS 10 shown in FIG. 1 may be implementedin portions to provide advantages in operating and managing operationsincluding automated operations. For example, a machine based AOS 10 maybe configured to control an independent, e.g., standalone machine 16,using a machine controller L2 and at least one base layer controller L1,to provide advantages including, for example, to modify the start timesof selected stations ST and/or elements E of the machine 16 to decreasepower consumption at start-up of the machine cycle and decrease peakpower consumption of the machine 16, as previously described herein andillustrated by FIGS. 6 and 7.

The detailed description and the drawings or figures are supportive anddescriptive of the present teachings, but the scope of the presentteachings is defined solely by the claims. While some of the best modesand other embodiments for carrying out the present teachings have beendescribed in detail, various alternative designs and embodiments existfor practicing the present teachings defined in the appended claims.

1. A method for controlling automation, the method comprising: providinga machine comprising: a first controller; a first element actuable bythe first controller at machine start-up to perform a first cyclecharacterized by a first cycle time; a second element actuable by thefirst controller at the machine start-up to perform a second cyclecharacterized by a second cycle time; wherein the first cycle time islonger in duration than the second cycle time; the method furthercomprising: at the machine start-up, actuating, via the firstcontroller, the first element to perform the first cycle; at the machinestart-up, delaying by a first delay time, actuation of the secondelement to perform the second cycle to a delayed start time relative tothe machine start-up; and at the delayed start time, actuating, via thefirst controller, the second element to perform the second cycle suchthat performance of the second cycle is completed prior to completion ofperformance of the first cycle; wherein the sum of the duration of thefirst delay time and the second cycle time is less than the first cycletime.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: comparing, via thefirst controller, a predetermined limit and the sum of the duration ofthe first delay time and the second cycle time; wherein thepredetermined limit is less than the first cycle time; and delaying, viathe first controller, actuation of the second element by the first delaytime when the sum of the duration of the first delay time and the secondcycle time is less than a predetermined limit.
 3. The method of claim 1,further comprising: providing a power source configured to selectivelyenergize the first element and to selectively energize the secondelement; wherein the power source is in communication with the firstcontroller; commanding, via the first controller, the power source toenergize the first element at the machine start-up; and commanding, viathe first controller, the power source to energize the second element atthe delayed start time.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the delayedstart time is a first delayed start time; wherein the machine furthercomprises: a second controller; and a third element actuable by thesecond controller at machine start-up to perform a third cyclecharacterized by a third cycle time; wherein the third cycle time isshorter in duration than the first cycle time; the method furthercomprising: delaying, via the second controller, actuation of the thirdelement to perform the third cycle by a second delay time, such that thethird element performs the third cycle at a second delayed start timerelative to the machine start-up; and wherein the sum of the duration ofthe second delay time and the third cycle time is less than the firstcycle time.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the duration of the firstdelay time is different from the duration of the second delay time. 6.The method of claim 4, wherein the machine further comprises: a thirdcontroller in communication with the first controller and the secondcontroller; wherein the third controller includes programming defining asequence of operations; wherein the sequence of operations includes thefirst, second and third cycles; and wherein the first delay time and thesecond delay time are defined by the sequence of operations.
 7. Themethod of claim 6, wherein: the first controller receives the firstdelay time from the third controller; and the second controller receivesthe second delay time from the third controller.
 8. The method of claim6, wherein: the third controller collects actual timing data for thefirst cycle and actual timing data for the second cycle from the firstcontroller; the third controller collects actual timing data for thethird cycle from the second controller; and at least one of the firstdelay time and the second delay time are determined using the actualtiming data collected by the third controller.